Many techniques are known for growing carbon nanotubes and other carbon nanomaterials on substrates including arc discharge, enhanced plasma vapor deposition (PVD), and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). However, many of the techniques currently in use have a number of limitations. For example, because carbon nanotube growth is a substrate-dependent process, the use of metal catalysts such as Ni, Fe and Co have the potential to diffuse too fast onto the substrate and coalesce into larger particles, leading to the formation of large metal particles, thus reducing catalyst particle density and the potential for carbon nanotube growth. Additionally, once deposited on the surface of a carbon substrate, in the process of depositing the nanomaterials, these catalysts can extract carbon from the substrate and thereby weaken the resulting product.